


Catch Me

by iloveitblue



Series: Prompts [317]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Getting Together, M/M, soulmate!AU, wing fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-18
Updated: 2015-10-18
Packaged: 2018-04-26 23:39:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5025184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iloveitblue/pseuds/iloveitblue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The one where Clint falls off a building (again) but this time, can't use his wings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Catch Me

**Author's Note:**

> In the many, many years that the humans have existed, so had the wings. In those years, many have found the person that completed them. But many have also used these people as leverage - it wasn’t all roses and daisies - that’s why people have created ways to hide their wings. 

And like that, the era of displaying your feathers with a proud flourish slowly died. Now, it was considered impolite to ask about another person’s wings. Even flying, was considered taboo because your wings had to be outstretched for everyone to see

This had never bothered Clint. He didn’t even try to cover his wings anymore. Aside from it being a stupid taboo, he’d lost hope of ever finding someone who matched his wings. Most people had a combination of 4 or 5 colors on average, he had 1. A shade of purple so dark, it almost seemed like black. Only in the right light would you see the shine of the purple. 1 or 2 colors were extremely rare. Statistically speaking, there was a 0.001% chance he’d meet his soulmate.

In his life, Clint has only ever seen one other person with one color for their wings - Natasha Romanoff. She had a deep luscious red, much like her hair. Unlike Clint, Natasha hid her wings like she hid everything. Clint could count the number of people who knew the color of her wings, and he was the only one who was left alive - so that kind of says something, doesn’t it?

There is also another person like Clint, but in a different way. He was like Clint because he wasn’t scared to show the world his wings - Tony Stark. Tony’s wings looked as beautiful as his owner. Black at the base, fading to red, then white, and finishing off with white tips. Tony was the only one in the Avengers who has his soulmate - Pepper. Steve had his, but that was before he drove the plane down and had to say goodbye to Peggy. 

Tony was also the one who taught Clint that sometimes having your wings out in the open was not enough to coax your soulmate out. Sometimes, it takes a lot of convincing to even get a first date. Sometimes, you fall head over heels in love first before you even find out that they’re your soulmate. 

“So there’s no way I can find out if the person is my soulmate other than sleeping with them?” Clint asked before he gulped down his scotch.

“I didn’t say that.” Tony countered, pouring Clint another glass. “Your wings, they have this certain pull, think of your and your soulmate’s wings like its the opposite poles of a magnet. You can’t help but be drawn to each other. Once you’ve met them, without even knowing yet, you always find yourself near them, or around them. You feel restless when they’re away. You notice the little things that they do. You know, without asking, how they like their coffee, or how they take their tea. You feel a strange sort of aversion to things that you didn’t hate before just because your soulmate is allergic to them, or they have a deeply seated hatred for it. Somehow, you find yourself thinking about them now.” Tony finished with a slimy grin and a waggle of the eyebrows.

Clint shook his head with a roll of his eyes. “Fuck you, Stark.” Clint said. He doesn’t mention how he was just thinking about Phil Coulson. 

—

Phil Coulson had a problem. A problem in the shape of his asset, Clint Barton. You see, Clint had the tendency to jump off of buildings which, on a normal occasion, would be just fine, dandy even, but Clint’s wings had been broken and Doctor’s orders were for him to refrain from using them for a few months. 

Normally, Clint would be given missions wherein he won’t be able to use his wings, but seeing as how Clint was now an Avenger, a broken wing does not excuse him from fighting. The wing doesn’t pull the arrow back, after all. 

Now though, as Phil watched Clint fall to his death, no other Avenger near enough to help, he thought maybe they should’ve benched the archer. Well, actually, that was just his secondary thought. The first thought and only thought that mattered at the moment was saving Clint. 

Phil ran as fast as his legs could take him, but at the speed that Clint was falling at, he won’t be able to make it. With a push off of the ground, Phil willed his wings to materialize and pushed himself off of the ground, swooping at sharp angles to avoid the many cars and debris blocking his path. With a flourish of his wings, Phil flew higher just in time to catch Clint in his arms.

“Great catch, boss.” Clint managed to smile as the fear ebbed away. 

Phil sighed in relief before he noticed how Clint was now staring at him- no, wait. His wings. Clint was staring at his wings.

Damn it.

—

“We have to talk about this.” Clint demanded.

“On the contrary, we don’t  _have_  to talk about anything.” Phil distracted himself with his work.

“Don’t I at least have the right to know?” Clint asked, a hurt look on his face. 

Phil sighed and looked up at Clint. “Know what, Barton?”

“Know why. Why didn’t you at least tell me? Was I really that much of an ass that you were willing to die without even telling me shit? I mean, yes. I know I wasn’t what you pictured when you imagined your soulmate. I’m stupid, jaded, hard-headed, aggressive, inappropriate, and completely not your type but we still could have been the platonic kind of soulmates. Was I not good enough to even be your friend?” Clint hung his head.

“Clint, no-”

“Then WHY?”

“ _Because_  you’re you.”Phil yelled, slamming his hands on the table. “Look at yourself. Look past your insecurities and try to see for once what everybody else sees. You’re beautiful, strong, brave, kind, funny, witty… and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I was delighted when I found out that you were my soulmate but I wasn’t sure if you’d be happy to be stuck with me. Sure we could have taken the platonic route, but before I could do anything about it, I was gone. I’d fallen in love with you and being nothing but your friend would be the worst kind of torture that I could inflict on myself-”

“So you chose to keep it a secret possibly until you or I died, is that it?”

“No. I didn’t want you to feel like you were stuck with me. I didn’t want you to feel obligated to be with me just because our colors matched. If I was going to tell you, it’d be after a few dates, after I wooed you, after I get you to fall in love with me because anything less would feel like forcing you into a relationship that you didn’t want.” Phil explained. 

Clint studied his face for a moment, calculating and intense, before he grabbed the back of Phil’s neck and pulled him in for a kiss over the desk. It wasn’t a perfect kiss, their teeth bumped and Phil’s pretty sure he cut his lip in the process, but when they pulled back at the same time, they were both dazed and dopey. 

“Who in the world told you I wasn’t already in love with you? God, Phil, all these years-” 

Phil shut him up with another kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> [Here on tumblr](http://promptmephlint.tumblr.com/post/131426889866/my-head-is-throbbing-and-i-feel-very)


End file.
